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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1920)
8 A THE OMAHA ' SUNDAY BEE: OCTOBER 24, 1920. Only Two Remain Of 'the "Gibbies" Of Former" Years Men Who Once Drove Visitors Up Farnam Street Hayj Given Way to Automobile. A quarter of a century o(-con-tant association in a business and a social way has made the friend- hiD of Albert Wallace ana lotin Everett, the last of the "old guard' 61 Omaha a hack drivers, akin that which legend tells u existed between Damon and rvthias. Of the scores of men who fol lowed the vocation of cab driving in the era following the hard times of the early 90s, and through the pol den age of Omaha s prosperity. I -i-- T t: !..:! roiiuwmg me i ru Mississippi v uosition. until the advent of th "taxi," they are the only ones who remain to serve the public as drivers of Dublic vehicles, save lom Cromn who still keeps an "owl" stand at the old corner near the Millard ho teli ' And.there are few in Omaha, even of their old friends who will know them by their patronymics, for they are popularly known to thejr clientele at. Set I," and ''Johnny Dugan. ' From That Day On. "Sez I" received his sobriquet one evening when he rushed uo to group of hack drivers and told that Jim McTeacue. who ran a thirst parlor where the Henshaw stands. and who was a well known character of an early day, all lit up, was amusing himself poking the plate glass windows out of the Wallace hack. ' ' "I heard the crash of glass," said Wallace, "and 1 rushed to 'my cab and there I saw' Jim McTeague pok ing the lights out with his cane, is that you, Jim . McTeague?' ses I. Jim stopped long enough to look at me and he sex, aez I. it is Jim Mc ' league,' and ser I, 'all right Jim Mc Teague, go ahead and poke all the f lass out with your cane it it amuses you. - From that, day on Albert Wallace lias been "Sez I, to his friends, ' Meet Morning Trains. John Everett was nicknamed after the popular song: What Did Dugatl Do to Him? which he sang, hummed, and whistled in season and out of season for many years. Wallace is a Kansan and Everett came' from Atchison county. Mis souri, befort the opening of the ex position and began driving hack. The stand was at the Paxton hotel and the drivers would meet the morning trains at the Union station and Bur ' t lington depot, , repeating in the , afternoon. The Paxton was then the center t cf all the social activities of the downtown district and the few oub lie vehicles that Omaha boasted were clustered in that vicinity. Out side of the transient trade the big sources of business for the hack men were the funerals," Weddings ' and christenings that took place. Funeral, Some Function. ' The undertaking firms of Drexel & Maul and .Fat Heatey catered largely-to the families of foreign nativity anda funeral in those days ws some function. Hacks were employed to haul mourners to and from the "wakes" that prevailed in South Omaha, and in the early morning hours were, much needed by the patrons. - About the only Omahans who availed themselves of the use of a hack to go any distance in the city, as an ordinary means of transpor tation and in lieu of the street cars, were "Bill" Paxton, Governor Boyd, Buy Barton and Count Crelghton. Circus days always brought a hjarvest and were good for from $25 to $35 for. the hackmen. Different Social Life. v Omaha had a different social life then. There were no cabarets nor social cliques, ior the numerous places of amusement that are now provided, and in the Victorian era, according to "Sex I,", the packman was quite a factor. ' ."On New Year's day," he relates, "parties of men of social prominence among the younger and the older sets would procure our hacks and would set out in a round of New Year calls. They wouldstop at the homes of the hostesses' of the city, . pay their respects, and sample the tempting egg-nofgs or Tom and Jerrys. 'Durmg the winter season rthere was a gay round of parties at the various homes in the city and it was the custom of the young gal lants of Omaha to take their best firls to these functions in cabs, hey would have us drive them to the home of the girl, take them to the parties, return at the close of the affair and drive them back to the respective homes. There were ' joy rides in those days. 'One of the social centers of the ' city was the home of J. M. H. Patrick, where the Happy Hollow club now stands. The Patricks were great entertainers. The hackmen who conveyed guests there would be employed for the night, the place was so far out, and at midnight the drivers were treated to hot coffee and sandwiches in the large heated barn on the place. "Horse cars were still running in Omaha and, the old Dodge line was the most heavily patronized. Twenty-fourth and Ames kvas then away ' out in the country and the principal Residence district was bounded by Twentieth and California, Davenport and Chicago. t"A heavy snow was a blessing in disguise to the hackmen. The popu 'ar show house then was the Far nam theater, at Fifteenth and Far nam. One night a lieavy snow storm came on and before the per- formance was over it had almost blocked the streets and stopped the Atreet cars. Just a few hackmen had to haul the theater crowd home. I used up three teams of horses that business began after the exposition and ft brought in such drivers as 'Swede John.' Al Brown, Buck Keith, Tom Cronin, Christ Demos, Jack Carney and Jim Tucker. Jack Carney is now taxi starter at the Fontenelle, and Jim Tucker, who died a short time ago, stuck to his hack to the last. y Ambition of Cowboys. "Omaha in those days was the favorite place for recreation and hiuuicss ol come of the big men of Last Surviving Pair of Omaha Cabbies Recall the OldiDays of Tom and Jerry (INSERT) ALBERT VVA.LACC to rs'm i i j n i wi y fir 4viw3 l fy a i i tmtvi?. i I J " ill me nortnwest, ana we had some lively characters to deal with. 'Buffalo-Bill" Cody was a frequent visi tor. He iised to meet noted friends from the east and from' Europe at Omaha, where in T. J. Foley's old place many a hunt in the Wyoming planned and- organized, lhen we had such big western tfattle men as Lee Moore of Douglas, Wyov.; "Hard Winter Davis, from Basin, Wyo.; lien shoemaker of fhermopolis. Wyo."; the Swan brothers of Ogal lallah. ' It was the ambition of all of the cowboys who came here to help light up the town and then to help put the lights out. lien. Leonard Wood and Gen eral Stanton, of the regular army -were frequent visitors to the city nd they always patronized the cabbies. - i . ' Hackmen In Politics. "Hackmen wore political factors in the early days of Omaha and during an election their) services were in great demand. Before cor- tupt practices legislation was erected political leaders' would- hire all the hacks' of the city to haul voters to the polls. Paddy Ford, who used to run for office as councilman as often as election Would come around, used to monopolize the hacks on some occasion, causing tfreat pref to his opponents Dilranch, who had t barn wheie the Flatirofr hotel now stands. The barn was burned about 18 years ago, with 17 head of horses, among which was a firie driving horse owned by Al iiarkir. ' . V : Jesse Jamas Messenger. ."like Roach was one of the lest known -of the old-time hack; drivers In hiaounger days he had been a messenger for the Jesse James gang and after its break-up he came to OmahaV He had the stand at Foley's when he died iU years ago. and I succeeded him! , ''When Jack Galligan was chief of the fire department-he often would use our hacks for emergency drives. If he happened to be in the downtown district and an alarm of fire would be sounded, he would leap into the first cab available and drive pellmell through the streets to the fire. Our hacks Were also used by the police as emergency wasons in answenng riot calls when the department had as its equipment onlyion( horse-drawn patrol wagon." Both 'Wallace and Everett have keea rtcollections of the picturesque hackmen's - balls which "were 1 held when their dlan was at the height of its prosperity, , , Careful Auto Drivers. These were the real Bohemian WveHtS of tht social season and were "There was a rough sense of crowded with those who came to honor among the men who drove cabs and it was their boast that they lways protected their fares trom impositions of any kind. All Night Stands. "The men were also ve'v hjmane to their horses and the latter were in many instances the pride of their eyes. I owned the famous Withrow ays and also the famous team of bnckskins which were a familiar sight on the streets of Omaha for 15 years. I bought them from Gene trip the light fantastic," as the cub reportejs described it, under con ditions where there was much fun and little restraint. The funds de rived from these annual dances went into the sick benefit fund of . th hackmen. It was noi until 1910 that Wallace and Everett abandoned the drivers' seats on their cabs to take to the automobile "taxi." . Thev had to adapt themselves to'fhe inevitable and since then have established rep- Convention of Humane ' League to Open Monday 'Jk xt rri i V')' IxMiNsasiissswMUMiwaMJ mJwrnti-ISAiianm mmmma V " -2SSSSE2SSSSS22Z u .. . , '.- 1 humanitarians and social "work-4 Ernest K. Coulter, manager of the ers from all parts' of the United States. Canada and Hawaii will as semble -in Omaha Monday to attend the 44th annual convention of the American Humane association at the Hotel fbtrternell. All persons interested in' humane or welfare work are invited to at tend the sessions' of the convention. One of the most prominent human itarians' expected is Dr. Francis H. Rowley, who gave lp the pastgrship of one of the largest Baptist churches to accept the presidency of the Mas sachusetts Societvffor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, succeeding the founder, Georg T. Angell. Dr. Wt O. Sttllman, president of the American Humane association foi thtpast 15 years, is wealthy physi cian of Albany, N.Y. The convention will open Monday morning, addresses of welcome will be followed Ijy a reply by Col. New -York Society for the Preven tion of, Cruelty and founder of tie Big -Brother movement, and the president's address by Dr,W. O. Stillntaji. ) The remainder of the session on Monday and Tuesday morning will be devoted to consideration of prob lems connected with child protec tionl . i The convention will lot be de voted, .entirely to business for th woman's auxiliary of the Nab ra ska Humane society, headed by Mrs. I. E. "Davidson, Mrs. Howard Bald' rige, Mrs: Lucien Stephens and Mrs. C. IV Farnsworth. has determined thai the visitors shall carry away pleasant impfes'sioh of Omaha and has; prepared a number, of interest ing' social events, which will give them" an opnortunity to meet Oma ha people and see all parts of the ciJ utations of beinif the most careful drivers in the city. Traffic Officer Emery, speaking, of the two men, said: T,It is a liberal education ifl the 'safety first idea to watch "Johnny DUffan and bez V drive in the down town district. They observe every rule and .handle their cars with cool ness in every emergency. Albert Wallace 'says that a man who has handled A team Vcrv much will always make a good and careful automobile driver -especially if he had always been careful in driving fhorses. ; .. , 1 , , .( Bachelor Advances Real "Hunch" for Tag Sellers "It's tie on a tag here, stick orr a button there and, constantly dig, dig, dig," moaned an Omaha bach elor in speaking of. the various cam paigns for funds conducted in Oma- "I don't mind assisting the va rious bodies in need of funds, but as Jiggs , would say, 'Maggie, use discretion The buttons for which I pay are useless and the tags are of no benefit that I have ever found. . "I'll tell 'the world that if the Woman who has charge of the next button day would use judgment and follow my ; advise she would win the gold-plated frying pan.. ( "My plan would be to arm the tag tires and button pinners with a needle and thread and a basket of assorted buttons and replace, the missing ties that bind. Homeless bachelors would willingly pay and with a lavish hand to .j)e able after a shot wait on th corner to go their way in perfect safety. A fireleSs cooker invented by an English woman Ms heated bv an ordinary incandescent electric lamp. New ,Yorker Gives Cop Hootch Hunch, Only Coffee Found Armed an) Ready to Test Outlaw Beverage Police Sergeant "Raids" Car Men at Lunch. ' Heart Secrets of a Fortune Teller J "Ye Godsl and they cat N' Yawk wet," a dapper raveling man whis pered in the ear of Ponce Sargeant Win. Russell last week. "I admit that you can find it if you know the ropes and will pay andiron man a drink, but here they' braxenly drink on the street." Sarr Bill immediately began vigor ously polishing' his shield jOn his coat sleeve as he arave his inform ant of the flagrant violation of Mr. Voldstead's law the 00. You have found the man who educated Majors Dalryntple," this leader of Omaha's finest explained. "Slip me the info bud, and I will call the taxi with the brass gong and 'Slip me the info, bud, and I will iree ride. . - . They Start Off. Sliding his gat into place for quick cction and griping his sap in ths approved fashion as taught by Chas. Pipkin. Wm. J. Burns, Sherlock Holms and Hawkshaw, the sergeant followed the New 'York slicker to the. scepe of the revelry. Events moved fast as the sergeant walked up Farnam street, where la borers on the new track of the street ailway Were - eating their lunch. while the sidewalks were lined with gaping spectators whose mouths watered every time one of the work men placed to hit lips one of the nasKS mat an oia innanuant in formed the crowd in the olden days was used as a container for a bev erage known as whisky, and In later daVs frequently contained "roslno or corn." And Then Although greatly outnumbered, the sarg bravely advanced on the men armed with bottles. With a re quest to a newspaper reporter the enforcer of the law seized one of t,he bottles, sniffed, placed it to his lips and took a big drink. Solufterinir. he returned the bdttle.- "Coffee," he remarked to the New i ork slicker. And with long faces the crowd resumed its way and the station bouse taxiwasn't called. , Wheel to Be Destroyed Paris, Oct. 23. The world's great est Ferris wheel, and one of the great sights of Paris, is about to be torn down. There are rumors that the Eiffel tower, the tallest structure in the world, is soon to meet the same fate. The Ferris wheel, like the ' Eiffel tower, was built on. the site of the great Paris world's fair in 190O. It has carried millions of visitors from every corner of the globf without serious accident. It has been sold to an iron merchant who intends to use the girders in construction in the war devastated regions of northern France. ' Two years were required to bund the Ferris wheel. It, is more than 330 tet hifirh and weichs. with the carriages emdty, nearly 2,000,000 pounds. The columns on which it is poised weigh nearly another million. By RACHEL MACX. I Invent a Romance. Far be it from me to misinform trustin audience, but I'm not eiir tirely to blame if some masculine fish swallow the whole bait instead of taking a cautious nibble, am I? iiot long, ago l was visited by a young woman all wrapped up in a gloom aloud. Something told me it must be love debility. "Deane, I says m greeting, you are seekin romance; am 1 right? "Yes," she answers, "I'm hunting for a romance because I've never had one in my life." , ' "Plenty of women iu your fix, dearie 1" I console. "No," she disagrees; "you're mis taken. Almost every girl has some Sort of love affair in her life." "Do you honestly mean, girlie," I demand, "that no male creature has, in the course of your young life, pro fessed to love you?" ' . "Not a male, she vows, "unless it was Teddy." "And who. might Teddy be?" I ask, hoping for the best. "Why Teddy," she explains, "was a dear little fox terrier, I used to ownl" "Oh," I says, being too much sur prised to say anything else. ' "Well, I don't believe I was ever quite! so upset over a case before. I couldn't even rifctle up my usual line of small talk while I arranged the details. All I could do was to! look at the poor girl and think about her hard luck. Think of a woman with not even a broken date to weep over! Suddenly I have an idea. "Girlie," 1 says, "I've had a life size picture of a little plan that will spell ro mance in your life. Would you like to hear it?" "Would If" she says. You can't talk last enough to suit me. "Well, dearie," I open, "here's the whole trouble in a nut shell. Men are a good deal like sheep. Let a woman be sanctioned by xmother mans choice and they fall over themselves showin her favor, "Get me?" "I do," she says; "you mean I'm overlooked by the masculine popu lation in th.rush because no other man has staUped me with his sweet approval." "Exactly," I says. '.'That's why you ve got to go in imotirnin , so to peak, tor a losn - lover dead, straved. orvstolenl" i' ' "Do you mean," she asks, lookin' worried, "that I've got to( hand out a lot of fake dope to the office force where 1m employed? "Not at all," I says. "I never en courage deceit. All you. have to do is to slip up to your desk m 'he mornin', lookin' as sad as a broken reed. Throughout tht""dayr indulge in a few spells ot silent weeps, and when somebody Vffers to comfort you, brace up like 'Ethel Barry more in a big sob scene and tell them it's Nothing! Nothing! between sobs." "But who," she interrupts, "is go ing to spread the news about the lost lover?" J . "Leave that to me, dearie? With you as a silent partner, I can stage the saddest little romance of the year without a word of untruth to - my credit" S Three days later I decide it's time to look over the grund, so I drop in to the branch telegraph station where my little 'riend spends Jier busy minutes. A young fellow with a slick pompadour and soulful eyes .offers the information I'm seekin' on night ned it. She a4, :voted, poor girli or the rite dope! what Ijlet slhj letter rates. It takes my wanderin' eyes just about two minutes to lo cate a droopin' young figure at the central desk' that looks rstv familiar. J"- "Ah," I says to the accommodate young man who has me in chargeV "I see Mary Holion over there. She V must be awfully sad since Teddy died! "Teddy 1" he says, all interest. "So that's the party she's grieving fori Were they engaged? v- "Well," I hesitates, using a sub dued tone of voice, "I don't like to talk about personal affairs. I thought of course vout kneW about it, or I'd never have mentioned it. She and,, lecmy were so aevotea, Thanks, awfully for and don t mention about Marv Holtom I hurried for the door, but before I made the final exit, I caught a glimpse of the slick pompadoured young man discreetly addressin' an open-mouthed audience of six gath ered in record tim.' ' Today I dropped into the office again. Of course I looked up the polite young man with the soulful eyes, havin' that feeling that We're already old friends. "I'm glad to notice," I says, sort ol careless, "that Mary Holton's not , lookin' 0 sad these days!" "Yes," he says in a meltin' tone of voice, "we've all tried to cheer her up, poor girl, and sometimes I think she's really forgetting that fellow Teddy I" . "It's so wonderful," I says, smilin encouragement'Pwhat a few weeks of congenial company can do for a grievin' heart!" Next week A Lase of feminine Finance. Copyright, 1130. 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